ICC Cricket World Cup is just around the corner and fans across the world just can’t contain their excitement anymore.
Amid all the fervor, here’s a list of Pakistani cricketing stars who we think would make the greens’ all-time XI.
Waqar Younis
“Beyond doubt Waqar is an outstanding bowler, probably the finest to emerge from Pakistan since Fazal Mahmood. This is a bowler of brilliance and élan, a bowler as entertaining in his way as any batsman, as enthralling as any spinner, a bowler who could become, as Imran predicted, the greatest of them all.” Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack
Abdul Qadir
“In the pantheon of wrist-spinners he [Qadir] surely ranks near the very top. Facing him or Warne at their best must have been as severe a test of a batsman’s nerve and capacity as any slow bowler has ever represented. But unlike Warne, Qadir was always on the attack. He knew no other way… When it comes to deception, as in the way in which he disguised his googly and various legbreaks, not to mention his flipper, he was a real little sorcerer.” John Woodcock
Saeed Anwar
“He used an eclectic approach to batting – classical betrothed to unorthodox, footwork against spin as quick as a hiccup, and wrists supple yet powerful to brush the field like a Picasso.” Ramiz Raja
Hanif Mohammad
“Hanif bestrode the cricket world like a Colossus of Rhodes. His patience was monumental, his judgement unique; fearless of his opponents, he shared his respect for them, both in victory and defeat. In common with many great sporting figures of the 20th century, his legend continues to grow with time.” Khadim Baloch
Javed Miandad
“He was positive and aggressive in his approach, and the tougher the situation the more he seemed to revel in the challenge. His enthusiasm was extremely infectious, which made him one of the best team men I have ever had the pleasure to play with or against.” Tony Greig
Zaheer Abbas
“Zaheer Abbas’ consistency both at first-class level and in Tests was phenomenal. Where his contemporaries struggled he remained calm and calculating, displaying his technique against great spinners of time; and not a bad player of fast bowling.” Qamar Ahmed
Inzamamul Haq
“Inzamam was colossal in frame, ability, and attitude. He could play strokes all around the wicket with brute strength or exquisite subtlety. But what made Inzi great was his determination to stand firm as his illustrious colleagues collapsed around him. He was the rock that broke the onslaught of Pakistan’s opponents. A few last stands would have been remarkable. To do it for over a decade was genius.” Kamran Abbasi
Imran Khan
“Imran combined thoughtfulness with a natural ability which had always been outstanding. What brought about this transformation, as Imran readily admits, was his appointment to the captaincy of Pakistan. This sense of responsibility turned a fine cavalier into a great cricketer.” Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack
Rashid Latif
“Few wicketkeepers in Pakistan have been as athletic and yet as unobtrusive as Latif. A dive in front of first slip was often accomplished with the same ease of a regular, standing take; and to spin, he was outstanding and swift. His errors are difficult to remember. His batting, combative and elegant, was vastly underrated.” Osman Samiuddin
Wasim Akram
“If I ever get a chance to be reborn as a cricketer, I would want to be Wasim Akram.” Allan Border
Fazal Mahmood
“Fazal Mahmood was a great human being, always willing to help anyone who sought his advice. He was the doyen of Pakistan bowlers in the formative years and all our wins since we started playing Test cricket were indebted to him. It was just because of his bowling feats that Pakistan achieved the rare honour of beating every country in our early series in the 1950s and 60s.” Hanif Mohammad
The list originally appeared on ESPNcricinfo
